Ala Alba: The Six Magical Stars
by Scarlet and Azure
Summary: This is AU. Three orphan girls, Asuna, Setsuna, and Konoka, dreamed for an adventure. Their dream came true when they were accepted into Ala Alba, the most famous magic guild in Mundus Magicus, and their adventure begin. Met new people, discovered the mysteries, and even found love.
1. Prologue

**This is an AU story and is about Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka, mostly Asuna. I want to try something new and here it is. Constructive criticisms are always welcomed. I especially need advises for this fic, but please don't flame. I am a very sensitive person so please don't be too harsh on me. I hope I can finish this story and not losing the mood to continue like I almost did to 'A Visit to Mermaid Heel'. The pairings are: AsunaxNegi, SetsunaxKotarou, KonokaxFate (I know, weird pairings aren't they? Except maybe AsunaxNegi. This pairing is common in negima fanciction). Anyway, here it goes.**

**Disclaimer: Negima belongs to Ken Akamatsu**

**Prologue**

_15 years ago, in Mundus Magicus, three poor young girls, lived together in an orphanage. Now how they came to that place?_

_ The first girl, Konoka Konoe, was once a noble girl who came from a noble family, Konoe. Konoe clan was a mage clan, whose expertise was in eastern magic and demon-slaying swordsmanship technique called Shinmei ryuu. They were very strong magicians and were feared and respected by other clans, especially Konoka's father and grandfather, Eishun Konoe and Konoemon Konoe. But Konoe clan had had many enemies and all the members were attacked and wiped off in one night. Konoka was the lone survivor of the carnage, barely saved by her own grandfather who told her to run with her childhood friend and guardian, Setsuna Sakurazaki._

_The second girl, Setsuna Sakurazaki, as mentioned before, was Konoka's childhood friend and guardian. She was found by Konoka's father, Eishun, wandering the forest, with nowhere to go. He brought her home with him and taught her the Shinmei ryuu technique. Setsuna became friends with Konoka and claimed that she would protect her to repay Konoe clan the kindness they gave to her. There was a dark secret about Setsuna, one that few people knew. __Setsun__a was a half-human and half-crow-demon, in other word, a hanyou, but not just any hanyou. She was born albino. Her wings, instead of black like the rest of crow demons, were white. In her clan, a child born with white wings was considered a bad omen so she was shunned by her family._

_The last, but not least, was Asuna Kagurazaka. Unlike the two other girls, she had no memory of her past. She couldn't even remember how she came to the orphanage. When Konoka and Setsuna arrived, she welcomed them warmly and the three quickly became best friends. One thing that had always been a mystery to Asuna beside her past was a mysterious person (or people, she didn't know) who always gave her a sum of money every month. She didn't know who the person was. Takamichi and his wife Shizuna, the owners of the orphanage always said that they were the ones who found her and brought her to them to care. But then why did they never show up in front of her? She also wanted to know who the people who saved her were. Though she couldn't remember her past, she had a feeling that she owed these people so much. Takamichi and Shizuna said that they were busy and Asuna thought that she would never meet them. Until one day._

_Asuna, Setsuna, and Konoka were on their way for shopping. Shizuna gave them some money and asked them to buy something. She trusted the girls so much and the three were her favourites among the children in the orphanage._

_"Hey, what do you want to be in the future?" Konoka asked her two best friends._

_Asuna frowned. "I don't know. I haven't thought about that before. What about you Setsuna? Do you know what do you want to be in the future?"_

_Setsuna shook her head. "I never really thought about that either. I know that one day, we will have to go out of the orphanage and work, but I don't know what I am supposed to do when the time comes."_

_The three girls went silent and so lost in their thinking that they didn't see two men walked toward them._

_"Hey girls. Looks like you bring some money with you" one of the men, with big muscular body greeted them, with a sneer, eyeing the money in Konoka's hands. Konoka stepped back in fright while Asuna and Setsuna glared at them. The other men, thin, with an ugly smile, showing his yellow teeth, easily took the money from Konoka's little hands._

_"Hey! Give it back! It's ours!" Asuna snapped._

_He ignored her and started counting the money. "Wow, enough for one week suply of food."_

_"It is for one week suply of food" Konoka answered. The muscular one looked at her._

_"You know, little girls shouldn't be carrying lots of money. How about you give it to us?"_

_"No! Give it back!" Asuna charged at the one who took the money, but the man easily caught her and hold her neck in the pit of his arm. "Let go of me! Your armpit's stink!" He only laughed at her attempt to escape._

_"No! Don't hurt Asuna Asuna!" Konoka ran to her to help her friend but the other man tugged her hair and she let out a yelp._

_"Let go of her!" Setsuna charged the muscular man but he easily caught her by her collar. She tried to land a kick or hit on him but the man held her away from him. If only she brought her wooden sword with her._

_The thin man looked at Asuna. "Now, don't fight. We won't hurt you as long as you become good gi- AAHHH!"_

_Asuna bit his hand and broke free from his grasp. He looked at her with contempt._

_"Why you little... Fine. If you want to get hurt so much, watch this." Asuna's eyes widened as the man closed his eyes and five fire balls appeared around him. He smirked at her while Setsuna and Konoka looked in horror. He could use magic!_

"Sagitta Magica!"

_The fire balls charged at Asuna like arrows. She closed her eyes and prepared for the impact but it never came. She dared to open her eyes and saw the arrows vanished into thin air around her. Setsuna, Konoka and the men, looked at her shocked. What just happened? It looked like the arrows vanished completely when they were about to touch her, like she was protected by an unseen shield._

_"What in the world just hap-" He abruptly stopped when he felt a hand clamped on his shoulder._

_"You know, stealing from little girls is bad, but using magic against them is the worst."_

_He turned to find a figure in white cloak, his face covered by the hood, carrying a peculiar wooden staff on his back. Suddenly a punch landed on his face and he was thrown to the far end of the alley way. The other man, quickly let go of Setsuna and Konoka to help his friend and the two girls ran to their friend. They watched as the cloaked man take on the two thugs. It happened so fast that their young eyes couldn't catch all the movements. What they knew was it was incredible and they watched the fight in awe. Each girls thought the same thing: "I want to be like him."_

_"Stop that Nagi!" cried out a female voice. The three girls looked at another cloaked figure (obviously a woman) that appeared behind the cloaked man._

_"But Arika, they used magic on little girls!"_

_"I know and you gave them what they deserved and that's enough." She turned to the girls. Her eyes widened when she looked at Asuna, though the girls didn't know it. They couldn't see her eyes as they were covered by her hood. She smiled at them. "Where do you live? Let us take you home."_

_"We live in Mahora orphanage" Setsuna answered._

_"Ah, that place! We know the owner. Let's go!" said the man._

_"Um thank you, but we still have shopping to do."_

_"Then we'll accompany you. Just in case something like this happened again" the woman said. The three girls looked at each other. Could they trust them? Who knew whether they were another thieves or maybe kidnappers? But they did save them didn't they? Well, the man at least._

_The three nodded and Asuna replied "Okay."_

_The three girls went shopping with two adults walking beside them. The man and woman kept exchanging glances at each other and occasionally looked at Asuna. Turned out, there was nothing to fear. They did walked them back to the orphanage like they promised. Takamichi saw them at the entrance and greeted the strangers like old friends._

_"Thank you for saving my girls. Girls, say thank you."_

_"Thank you!" Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka said in unison._

_"No problem girls!" the man replied. The girls could saw him grinned though they still couldn't see his whole face due to the shadow of his hood. _

_Konoka tugged at his cloak. "Mister, what are you doing? What is your job?"_

_He smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'm a Magister Magi."_

_Setsuna tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Meister Magi? What is that?"_

_"It is someone who goes around the world and help people in need" the woman answered with a smile._

_"Like you did back then?" Asuna asked. The woman nodded._

_"So you fight bad guys?"_

_"Not only that. We are helping people in general. Like saving a country from natural disasters, helping poor people find a place to live, helped the victims of war and many other."_

_The girls listened in amazement. It sounded like a cool job. "Awesome!" they said in unison and the three adults chuckled._

_"Are you a Maister Magi too, Miss?" Konoka asked, now tugging the woman's cloak._

_"Yes I am. I travel everywhere with my husband here."_

_"So you are married? Like Takamichi and Shizuna?" Setsuna asked._

_"Yes we are" the man answered for her._

_Takamichi looked at Setsuna and Konoka and back at the couple. "Setsuna, Konoka, why don't you go give the things you bought to Shizuna?"_

_"What about me?" Asuna asked._

_"You stay here for a while Asuna."_

_After Setsuna and Konoka went inside, Takamichi turned to her. "Asuna, this people here were the ones who found you and brought you here. They are the ones who send you money all this time."_

_Asuna widened her eyes and bowed at them. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for everything!" _

_The man chuckle__d__ and the ruffled her hair__.__ "Now, now. It's okay." _

_She stood straight again and looked at them curiously. "Um I don't know your name." She recalled that the couple called each other by their names at her first encounter with them but she couldn't remember._

_"And you better not" the woman replied. "We have many enemies and we don't want you to get caught in our problems."_

_"What about my past? I don't remember any of it. Do you know anything about me?"_

_The couple and Takamichi stilled for a moment. "No. We're sorry" the woman answered._

_Asuna squinted her eyes and tried to catch a glimpse of their faces. She could see strays of red hair from inside the man's hood and blonde hair from the woman's but that's it._

_"We only want you to know about us. We heard from Takamichi that you always wanted to meet us and now we've met. We're sorry but we have to go again" The man said sadly._

_"We're happy to see you grow into such a healthy child. We hope for the best for you and your two friends" the woman said and patted her head gently._

_"Will I ever see you again?" she asked._

_"Maybe. Someday" the man replied._

_"Is there anything I can do to repay you for all the things you did for me?"_

_They were silent for a moment and Asuna waited. The man finally spoke. "When the time comes, please help our son and take care of him."_

_That was the last word Asuna heard before they walked away from her._

**This is flashback. Like the title says, it's the prologue. The real story is in the next chapter. What do you think about it? Please review.**


	2. Going Away

**Like I said, this is where the real story start**

**Disclaimer: Negima belongs to Ken Akamatsu**

**Going Away**

_Present day:_

A young woman sat staring out the window of an old building. She had knee-length light red hair, almost orange, tied into two ponytails, each decorated with two bells and heterochromatic eyes, the left one is blue and the right one is green. 21 years old Asuna Kagurazaka recalled what happened to her and her two best friends 15 years ago. That was the first and last time she saw her saviours. She still remembered their last words.

_"When the time comes, please help our son and take care of him."_

What was that mean? Well so they had a son, but Asuna didn't even know him. And what did they mean by 'when the times come'? She asked Takamichi about it once and he only said that she'd find out someday. Well, if there was anything she could do for the man and the woman who saved her, she would do it with all her might. After all, they were the ones who found her and took her here. Though she had no memory about her past, she was grateful to come here. If she never came to this orphanage, she would never met the kids here, who were all very nice and kind to her. She would never met Takamichi, with his gentle, caring and fatherly smile, who always told them funny stories after dinner in family room (she used to have a crush on him when she was little, but it faded as she grew older. It really was just a puppy love and nothing more). She would never met Shizuna, with her warm smile, understanding eyes, and motherly affection, who was always ready to hear her problems, cooked her favourite food and baked some cookies for the kids every morning. She would never met Setsuna and Konoka, her two best friends in the world ever since Setsuna and Konoka appeared on their doorstep ate the age of five. Now they were more like surrogate sisters. Asuna frowned. The more she thought about how she loved this orphanage, the sadder she became.

"Asuna." She turned at the call of her name and saw one of her two best friends. A young woman at the same age, with golden-brown eyes and short greyish-black hair, tied into a side ponytail, looked at her with sad eyes, as if she knew what the other was thinking. Setsuna Sakurazaki was a little thinner from her and shorter too. Despite being the smallest among the three of them, she was the strongest. Her body was muscled from the martial arts training she did these past years (Asuna's own body was also muscled. After all, she did all those training with her). Her skin tone was the lightest among them, as white as milk.

"What is it Setsuna?"

"Shizuna asked us to help prepare dinner because you know... this may be the last time we help her and..."

"I know." No more words said between them. "Two days before we go to work. I wish we get cooler job than maids. I'm not very 'domestic'-" Asuna used her fingers as quotation marks at the word "-to begin with."

Setsuna couldn't help but chuckled at her friend's remark. It's true that Asuna never really good in housework (or any work that required patience for that matter). At least she could clean and wash. Well, not that Setsuna was any better. The one who was always good in those things was Konoka. Both of them were grateful they had her in this job as well.

In Mundus Magicus, every girl, who had come to the age of sixteen, usually either married or went to find a job. While the older children of the orphanage have gone away to work or married, Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka insisted to stay and help Takamichi and Shizuna in their work and taking care of the orphanage. First, because they loved the place and didn't like to leave it just yet and second, because they didn't know what they wanted to do. What job they should took. And they didn't want to get married yet (don't underestimate them. The three young women were quiet attractive and many men in their town asked for their hands in marriage and of course they wanted to marry someday. They just hadn't found the right ones yet).

Well, actually they did have one job in particular that interested them. Setsuna sighed. "I wish we could be Magister Magi instead" she said, finally saying the words right compared to her first try 15 years ago. After meeting the mysterious cloaked people who saved them 15 years ago, they always thought that the job as Magister Magi was really cool. They had begged Takamichi to explain in details about what Magister Magis did. Not only they had to travel to different kind of places but they also help people in need. Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka had lived in their small city for a long time and though they loved living here in the orphanage, they longed for an adventure, an exploring. And what better job to do it than Magister Magi? Well, except maybe treasure hunter but that's different. None of them were interested in finding treasures anyway. They want to be of use to people and at the same time, explore the world. But whenever they talked about their dream, Takamichi always said that the three of them were better suited for other jobs. He said that Magister Magi was a very hard job and you encountered danger in every place, but they didn't care. In the end, they never found a job that was to their liking and chose to stay in the orphanage and help Takamichi and Shizuna.

Now that they were 21, it was a bit late to find a job, but they eventually got it. Or rather Takamichi got them. He had tried to find the same job for all three of them so they could work together. There were various jobs in various places but what they wanted were the jobs in either Megalomesembria or Ostia, both being the capital cities of Mundus Magicus, governed by different people. Megalomesembria was led by the senates while Ostia was governed by Vespertatia Kingdom. Surely, there would be many interesting things there. The job vacancies in Megalomesembria were as technicians. None of them knew anything about machinery so they refused. The job vacancies in Ostia were as servants, but not just any servants. The servants in the Ostia castle (how Takamichi got that job, they never knew. I mean it's in the castle!). It was not any more exciting than technician but at least it was better. Not a job full of adventure, but at least they're going to Ostia and worked in its castle. It's a good start.

Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka would go to Ostia tomorrow morning. They were excited to see the world, but sad because at the same time, they were leaving the orphanage. "It's not like we won't see each other again" Takamichi and Shizuna had said, but the girls couldn't help but felt down about it. It would be a long time before they could see this place and the people who lived here again. Asuna looked out the window and watched as the kids played in the yard. Soon enough, she saw Konoka joined them and smiled softly. Konoka loved kids and always helped Shizuna taking care of the younger children.

"I'm really going to miss this place" Setsuna said wistfully.

"We all are. But at the same time, I really want to go away from this place." Setsuna looked at her in surprise. "Oh, don't look at me like that Setsuna! We spend more than a half of our lives here. We never went out of the city. Have you ever wondered what the outside world was like?"

Setsuna was silent for a moment then she turned to look out the window at Konoka and the kids. "Of course I have." They stared outside in silence. By now, Konoka had noticed her two best friends looking at her and waved at them. She left the yard and went inside. They knew she was coming to them. "It's a shame we never get to be Magister Magi."

"Yeah. All those training for nothing" Asuna sighed. Ever since Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka decided that they wanted to be Magister Magi, they had trained their ability hard. Setsuna trained her martial arts and Shinmei ryuu sword techniques. She even learned a little about eastern magic such as how to use paper talisman. Konoka, as the heiress of Konoe clan, already had abundant magical energy inside her. Rather than practising martial arts like her friends, she spent her time learning about healing magic. She was not a fighter type to begin with. She often sneaked into local library and read books about magic. She learned some spells for healing, and had used some of them on Asuna and Setsuna whenever they were injured. As for Asuna, she didn't have any special magic or techniques. Her physical strength was the best among the three of them and combined with her martial arts skill, made her a strong fighter. But it's only that. She was the best in raw strength but she had no real technique and Asuna felt inferior because of this. At this rate, she couldn't be a Magister Magi, as it was, as its name suggested, a master of magic. Konoka might be able to be one in the future, having known some spells. Even Setsuna might have a chance, though she only knew some eastern magic and focused more on her sword technique. Asuna on the other hand, never was good in studying so she couldn't learn magic, knowing she had to memorize all those long complicated spells. Even her martial arts techniques were mostly taught by Setsuna. She really hoped she had at least something, some real technique and not just mere strength. "I wish I have some real techniques like the two of you. All I do is relying on my strength."

Setsuna frowned at her words and was about to say something when she heard footsteps coming their way. She turned to see Konoka Konoe walked toward them, with a few skips in her steps, her long brown hair bounced up and down with it, her dark brown eyes sparkling. She still acted like a child sometimes, even at this age. And Asuna and Setsuna wouldn't have her any other way. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked as she stopped in front of them.

Asuna shrugged. "Nothing. Just talking about our new job in Ostia. And how we're gonna miss this place."

Konoka's cheerful expression started to turn into sadness. "Oh...yeah..." Silence once again came to them. "Anything else?"

"Asuna here is drowning in self-pity for having no special technique like us, or so she said."

"Again?" Konoka shook her head. "Asuna, we've been through this so many times. Everyone is special and I'm sure you have something in you that only you have. Something that you can call your own. Something that neither Setsuna nor I have."

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

Asuna frowned. Aside from healing magic, she knew Konoka had some ability in fortune telling and she didn't know if this was one of those moments where Konoka would randomly said something that would come true in future or she just said it to make her feel better.

"Um, girls, I don't want to break your conversation but we have dinner to prepare" Setsuna said, breaking Asuna's thoughts.

"You're right! Let's go! After all..." Konoka paused for a moment. "This will be our last dinner here for a while."

**What do you think? Has it got a bit more interesting? Please review**


	3. This nostalgic feeling

**Disclaimer: Negima belongs to Ken Akamatsu**

**This nostalgic feeling**

"Now girls, remember all the things I taught you. Asuna, be patient and polite during the introduction. Setsuna, don't be too uptight and smile a little. Konoka, don't act childishly in front of your new boss, like clapping your hands or skipping in your steps" Shizuna instructed each girls. The four of them and Takamichi were standing in the entrance of the orphanage. Takamichi would ride them to the harbour. A friend of Takamichi offered to take them to Ostia with his ship while he went there for business trip.

"We get it, we get it" Asuna said impatiently. "You've told us that every day ever since we got the job."

"I will miss you" Shizuna said tearfully. Seeing her tears, Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka couldn't help but teared up as well. This woman was the one who raised them and loved them like a mother for 16 years. They would be lying if they said they're not sad to leave her. Shizuna hugged the three at the same time and they hugged her back. This would be the last time they saw their mother figure in a while.

"Shizuna, we have to go now or they'll be late. We should not make Johny wait, though he was the one who offered to give them a ride" Takamichi said, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Right. Sorry." Shizuna let go of them and wiped her tears. "My girls are growing up."

"We're already twenty one, Shizuna" Setsuna said, amusedly.

"Of course. But you will always be little girls to me." They said their good byes to her and walked to the harbour, Takamichi leading the way. It was still early in the morning. The sun hadn't even come out. When they arrived in the harbour, a man with black hair greeted Takamichi and the girls.

"Hey Taka! Are those the girls you asked me to take care of?"

"Hey Johny! Yes they are. Girls, this is my friend Johny. He will take you to the Ostia. Johny, this is Asuna, Setsuna, and Konoka." The girls greeted him politely and Johny chuckled.

"Well girls, let's get on. I have to be in Ostia at 8 a.m. so we better hurry." Johny went back into his ship to start the engine and Takamichi turned to the three young women. They looked at him sadly. This was the time to say good bye.

"You girls have grown up. I'm sure you can take care of yourself now. But to be honest, I'm still worried. If there's any trouble, just send us a letter okay."

"We get it Takamichi. You don't have to worry. Aren't we big girls now?" Asuna said playfully. The other three smiled at her comment.

Takamichi hugged them, the way Shizuna did just a few minutes ago. "I'm going to miss you. The other kids too." The girls hugged him back while holding their tears. They stayed like that for a while until a honk startled them. They looked at Johny, ship at the ready.

"We're ready to go!"

Asuna,Setsuna and Konoka grabbed their luggage and went into the ship. The ship flew higher and higher and started to go to the direction of Ostia. The girls went to the deck to see Takamichi waved at them from where he stood in the edge of the harbour. They waved back at him until they couldn't see him again. They stared at their town for the longest time. "We should go back inside" Setsuna suggested and the three went back inside the ship. There, in navigation room, they saw Johny, driving the ship.

"So girls, what will you work as in Ostia?" Johny asked in attempt to start a conversation.

"We will work as maids there" Setsuna replied.

"We will work in the castle!" Konoka added.

"The castle? How glorious!"

Asuna shrugged. "Well, we only work as maids though."

"But still, that's amazing. Since you guys are going to work in the castle, it's better for you to know about the Royal family. Do you know anything about Vespertatia Kingdom? The history or the background?"

The girls looked at each other. Setsuna scratched her cheek, smiling sheepishly. "Well, we live in country side and we never really went out of town before so..."

"You girls don't know anything?" They shook their heads. "Well, it's good that you know me because I know everything about the kingdom's history. You know that Vespertatia was the very first kingdom here in Mundus Magicus right?"

They nodded. "I heard it was a very ancient kingdom" Setsuna said.

"The most ancient out of all kingdoms. The oldest, the wealthiest and the most powerful too. The ancestor of the royal family, Queen Amateru, was the one who created this world. It was said that the descendants of the queen had the magic power of the royal family and that is what makes them more special than average human-being. Or so I've heard, though I don't know how great royal family's magical power is. But the royal line had been cut in world war 20 years ago. The last King of Vespertatia, King Stefan, was murdered by Cosmo Enthelecia, the organization who tried to destroy the world and her daughter, Princess... well Queen Arika was arrested by the Megalomesmbrian senates."

"Why was she arrested?" Konoka asked.

"It was said, she was the one who planned the death of his father and she was responsible for destroying Ostia."

"Ostia was destroyed?" Asuna asked, confused.

"Well, it's twenty years ago. It was rebuilt back after ten years. Anyway, Queen Arika was arrested and sentenced to death. The royal line was cut from there. Or so we thought. Recently, there's an interesting development. It turned out, Queen Arika had a son!"

"What?! But you said she was sentenced to death!"

"The senates of Megalomesmbrian said so, but it turned out she was saved that day. Guess who's the father of the child."

"Who?" Konoka asked, curiously.

"The Thousand Master! Wait, do you know about him, or should I explain too?"

Asuna snorted. "Don't worry Johny, we know who he is. In fact, I don't think there is any person in Mundus Magicus who doesn't know about him." Johny chuckled at Asuna's reaction. It's true. Nagi Springfield, or better known as Thousand Master was the hero of the world. He and his magic guild, Ala Rubra was the ones who fought and defeated Cosmo Enthelecia in the Great War 20 years ago. It was explained thoroughly in every history book. He was considered to be the strongest mage in the world. He was the perfect example of Magister Magi. Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka, who had an interest in becoming Magister Magi since they were little, always loved to hear story about him.

"But it's really surprising. I never knew that he had any child. And with the last Queen of Vespertatia Kingdom too. Their son must be very strong. Having a legendary hero as a father and the Queen of the most powerful magical kingdom in the world as a mother. I can't even begin to imagine how great his magic power is" Setsuna commented.

"He really is strong. And very smart too. Genius even. He graduated from Merdiana Magic School at the age of ten. Can you imagine? The truth is only found recently. Their son, Negi Springfield, as the last descendant of Vespertatia Royal family, is now taking over the kingdom as the new prince of Vespertatia."

"Prince? Not king?" Asuna asked.

"No, he's only 16."

"SIXTEEN?!" the three exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, still very young right? But he rules the whole kingdom, with the help from Hellas Empire. The third princess of Hellas, Theodora, was Queen Arika's best friend and she became her son's guardian. I heard that the members of Ala Rubra are also helping him out. He's not crowned yet, so he's just a prince not a king. First, because even though he's a genius and is more than suitable to rule a kingdom, he's still very young. Second, it takes time to announce it to the world. The people of Ostia, or someone like me, who goes there often, already know about it. But it still hasn't been announced in other countries so very few people know about this. Because you know, the Royal family was thought to be gone for good and suddenly, a legal heir appeared. Of course everyone is shocked. Though the world already knows that Vespertatia Kingdom already has a successor, not many people know who it is yet. So I must warn you girls that what I told you right now is a top secret. I just think that since you will work in the castle, you should know what happens there so you won't say or do anything stupid." The three girls nodded. "Why don't you girls sleep? We still have a few hours before we arrive."

Asuna yawned. "It sounds like a good idea. All these stories make me sleepy." It was nice of Johny to tell this to them in advance but the story bored her. She was never interested in anything regarding politic or history anyway. Or better said, she was never good in studying. But what made her felt uncomfortable was she had a weird feeling of nostalgia when she heard that story. There was something stirred in her mind but she didn't know what. She decided that she was just tired and sleepy for having to wake up so early. The girls got comfortable and took a nap.

_Two hours later:_

Asuna felt someone shook her shoulders. From the vigorous way and a squeal she heard, she knew it was Konoka. She blinked and slowly opened her eyes.

"Asuna, wake up! We've arrived! Look! Look at Ostia!" Konoka pulled her up and dragged her to the deck. Setsuna was already standing there. She smiled at them and pointed at the view. The sun already came out; Asuna squinted her eyes, getting used to the light. Once she could see clearly, her eyes widened.

There in front of her, were many isles, great and small, floating in the sky. It was a beautiful sight but that was not what struck her. It was the feeling of nostalgia that came upon her as her eyes met the view. But where was this feeling came from? This was the first time she came here, so there's no way she felt nostalgic by coming here. And there's other feelings as well; sadness, guilt, but also longing and happiness. What was wrong with her?

"Beautiful isn't it? I can't wait for us to land" Konoka's voice cut her thought.

"What? Oh yeah, sure."

Setsuna and Konoka looked at her. "What's wrong Asuna?" Setsuna asked her worriedly. Of course they would sense that there's something going on with her. They always knew.

"No, nothing. It's just... Nevermind, it's stupid."

"What's stupid? Come on, tell us" Konoka urged.

Asuna sighed. "I don't know, it's just... I feel kind of nostalgic when I saw this. But it stupid, I know, because I never came here before. And there are other feelings too like sadness, guilt, longing and happiness. It's weird. I don't understand it myself why I feel all these feelings just by looking at this country."

They became silent for a while, until Setsuna said "Maybe... just maybe... it has something to do with your memory." Asuna and Konoka looked at her. "I mean, you told us that you couldn't remember anything about your past. You said that this is the first time you come here but who knows what happened to you in past."

"That's right! Oh, she's right Asuna! Maybe Ostia has something to do with your past" Konoka added.

Her past? That's right! She couldn't remember anything about her past. But this nostalgic feeling meant only one thing: she had been here before, in Ostia. And somehow, her stay here made her feel many different feelings at the same time. Could it be that Ostia held a secret to her past?

"Maybe you're right" she said, at last. "Maybe it is somehow connected to my past. Maybe, coming here will help me regain my memory. If that's true, then I'll find out about it. I'll definitely find out about my past. I'll definitely regain my memory."

"And we will be there for you along the way" Setsuna said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah! We're friends forever, right?" Konoka added, putting her hand on her other shoulder.

Asuna smiled gratefully at them. At the time, she felt like the luckiest person in the world, for having them as her best friends. As she looked back at the country where her new live would start soon, a wave of nostalgic feeling came back to her again. Something stirred in her memory and she tried hard to grasp it. An image of a woman with long dark hair appeared, but it vanished as quickly as it came. She felt excited. This was the first time she saw a flash of her memory. It was only a flash, but at least it was something. She's starting to look forward to stay here. And as she felt Setsuna and Konoka's hands on her shoulders, she felt happy and relieved that she was not alone.


	4. Roommates and Co-Workers

**teamxcution: Thank you for the review. You're the first (and only) reviewer and I am happy for it. At least I know that someone appreciate my story**

**Disclaimer: Negima belongs to Ken Akamatsu**

**Roommates and Co-Workers**

After saying thanks and good byes to Johny, Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka walked to the palace and finally arrived.

Asuna looked around the great castle and its many towers. The nostalgic feelings came back to her and somewhat magnified. She knew it. She **had **been here before. Setsuna also looked around, admiring the beautiful castle of glass and its vast yard. They were at the back of the castle where the servants usually were. Konoka however, was busy staring at their new boss. She –at least Konoka knew it is a female from her maid clothes- was really a giant bear.

"So you're the new recruit? Well, we'll see if you guys are any good in the work. I'm your boss here! Just call me 'Mama'!" The girls tilted their heads in confusion. _Mama? _

"Alright! First, put your things in your room! One room is for six maids, so you'll share a room with three others." The Mama Bear motioned for them to follow her. They walked into a small building just behind the castle which they assumed, was the dormitory for the workers. She opened the door to a room. "You girls will stay here." The room was quiet big. There were six beds in there, three beds on the right and the other three on the left. Each bed had a cupboard, a desk and a night lamp on the desk. Mama Bear pointed to the three beds on the left for them to occupy. Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka put their luggage on their new beds. "Now come with me! I'll explain about your jobs in detail. You can unpack later." They left the dormitory and walked back to the palace. The Mama Bear explained to them what they would do as they walked through the castle. They had to swipe and mop the floors, dust the furniture, wash all the curtains, basically, cleaning every place and also prepare the food.

"And more importantly, don't talk to the prince!"

The prince? She must be talking about the person Johny told them. The successor of the Royal family.

"Why?" Konoka asked.

"Because it's not your place. The prince is of the Royal family. One that lowly servants like us is not allowed to talk to. If you meet him, just bow and leave. You can only speak to him if he talks to you." Asuna frowned. Wasn't he found out to be a royalty just recently? What's with the special treatment?

She brought them to the kitchen where they saw many girls walking around, looking very busy. "Girls! Gather up!" All of them stopped their work and gather in front of them. Setsuna silently counted them and found that there were 28 girls. With the three of them joining, there will be 31. "Today, you got new co-workers! Now introduce yourselves girls!"

Asuna frowned slightly. Did this bear always shouted whenever she talked? She then turned to them and smiled a little. "Hi, I'm Asuna Kagurazaka. Just call me Asuna. Nice to meet you."

Setsuna bowed to them. "Setsuna Sakurazaki. It's my pleasure for working with you."

"I'm Konoka Konoe! Nice to meet you! Let's be friends!" Konoka gave them all a big smile with her eyes closed.

"Okay, introduction's over! Now get to work girls! Ayaka, I trust them to you!"

"Yes, Mama."

The bear walked away and the girls resumed their work. The beautiful blonde who Mama Bear called Ayaka came to them and gave them a welcoming smile. "Hello. My name is Ayaka Yukihiro. If there is anything you need, just ask me. Come with me. I'll give you your uniforms." They went to a small room that's connected to the kitchen. Ayaka gave them their uniforms and left them to change.

Asuna looked at the clothes in disgust. "You've got to be kidding me. Do we really have to wear **these**?"

"Well, that's the rule Asuna" Setsuna said, amusedly. She, didn't really like the clothes herself but didn't say anything against it. Asuna grumbled and started to take off her shirt.

Fifteen minutes later, they came out in their uniform, Asuna still cringing. "Who the heck designed this costume anyway?"

Ayaka turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "I did. What? Got any problem with that?" She said it calmly, but still with a challenging tone.

Asuna looked at her. "Well, to be honest... yes. There are so many things wrong with it. First, the skirt is too short" she said, the fingering the edge of her skirt, which is above her knees. "Second, there are too many frills and bows on it" she said, fingering all the frills and bows on her uniform. "And what's with the colour anyway? It's hot pink. What do you think it is? Valentine?"

Ayaka looked offended by her critics of her design, but kept calm. "A country girl like you would never know what fashion is. All you do is working at the farm with cows and chickens, wearing nothing but pants every day. Well, for your information, these clothes are what the high-class people wear. Of course you wouldn't know" she said in a haughty way.

Now Asuna was the one offended. "Excuse me for being a country girl. I do know about fashion you know. And I don't work in the farm with cows and chickens. So what if I prefer pants, you dumb blonde."

"Who are you calling dumb blonde you stupid red-head?!"

"Of course you, idiot!"

"Asuna!"

"Asuna, stop it!"

"Ayaka, stop it please" said a mellow voice. They turned to see a busty redhead walked to Ayaka.

"But Chizu, she started it!"

"Excuse me. I'm just saying he truth. You're the one who asked me if I got any problem with it, and I said it" Asuna scoffed.

"You insulted my design!"

"Well, you insulted country girls! And for that, you insulted not only me, but my friends as well!"

"It's okay Asuna. We're fine" Konoka said while rubbing her friend's shoulder in attempt to keep her calm. Chizuru were doing the same thing with Ayaka. Ayaka huffed and walked away.

"I don't want to see that stupid redhead for a while. You take care of them, Chizu." Asuna frowned and stuck out her tongue at Ayaka's retreating figure.

"I am sorry about that." They turned to the busty redhead, who smiled at them gently. "She is a little stubborn and arrogant sometimes, but she is actually very kind if you look past all those traits. My name is Chizuru Naba. Nice to meet you."

Setsuna bowed. "It's a pleasure to work with you Naba-san. We are also sorry about Asuna. She is actually a good person, bust she has a tendency to speak before she thinks."

"Hey!"

Chizuru giggled. "Just call me Chizuru, Setsuna-san. Let's get to work shall we? I'll tell you what you have to do."

_At night:_

Beside Asuna's fight with Ayaka, that day passed uneventful. Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka started their work in different places. Asuna was assigned to work in cleaning the second floor, Setsuna the first floor, and Konoka worked in the kitchen. After all the work was done, they came back to the maids' dormitory. They realized they had yet to know their roommates.

"I hope that dumb blonde is not one of our roommates."

"Now stop saying that Asuna. After all, it's partly your fault."

"How so? I'm just telling the truth! I know that you don't like that clothes too, Setsuna." Setsuna sighed.

Konoka had walked ahead of them to their room. She opened the door and found three figures in the room. A tall girl with long dark-hair, wearing glasses, a short girl with long purple hair, drinking something in a bottle and a medium-height girl with short purple hair that covered half of her face.

"Hi!" Konoka chimed.

"Hey there, new girl!" greeted the tall girl with a grin.

The short girl nodded at her. "Welcome."

"G-good evening. P-please come in" the short-haired girl stammered. At this point, Asuna and Setsuna arrived and the three walked in.

"By the way, we haven't introduce ourselves. I'm Haruna Saotome! You can call me Haruna or Pal! As you wish!"

"Pal?" Asuna, Setsuna and Konoka said in confusion.

"That's her pen name. She's writing a novel." They turned to the short girl. "I'm Yue Ayase. Just call me Yue."

They turned to the last girl. The girl looked flustered as everyone was looking at her. "Um...uh... My name is Nodoka Miyazaki. P-please call me Nodoka."

"She is shy to the people she just met" Yue whispered to them. They nodded in understanding.

Konoka smiled at Nodoka. "Nice to meet you Nodoka!" Asuna and Setsuna also gave her smiles and it calmed her down somewhat.

"Hey, do you guys need help unpacking?" Haruna asked.

"No thanks. We're fine" Asuna replied.

"Okay. Oh yeah, what you did back then was hilarious! No one ever went against the president."

"President? You mean that dumb blonde?"

"Why do you call her president?" Konoka asked.

"Because she leads all of us like a president. She's the one dirceting everything. Mama gave her all the authority in leading and she leads us in such a way that we call her president" Yue explained.

"And she doesn't mind?" Setsuna asked.

"Nope. In fact, she likes it." Haruna snickered. "She is a bit off I have to admit, but nobody bothers to call her out on it because she is so stubborn. It will be a long debate if you go against her opinion. Asuna is actually the first person who is stupid enough to do it." And then she laughed again and Asuna pouted as the other started to giggle at that statement, even Nodoka. But then, she smiled silently. Maybe working here was not as bad as she thought it would be.


End file.
